As one example of a technique to support operation at various sites of maintenance and construction of facilities, a medical site, and the like, an image display apparatus and an information providing apparatus for supporting operation have been proposed.
For example, an image display apparatus includes a position/orientation measuring unit that calculates a position and an orientation of a portable computer using an image obtained from a camera and measurement data of the position/orientation measuring unit. Furthermore, the image display apparatus includes a projection-information retrieving unit that retrieves image information relating to an image to be projected and an arrangement and a shape of an object from projection information data base and object arrangement/shape database. Moreover, the image display apparatus includes an image-information generating unit that generates an image to be projected from the retrieved image information, based on a relative positional relationship between an image projector device and the object, and on the shape of the object.
Furthermore, the information providing apparatus for supporting operation is to perform, by pointing, for example, with a laser pointer, a specific object in a projection image projected by a projector, processing that is associated with the object. This information providing apparatus for supporting operation includes an image transceiving unit that transmits and receives a projection image taken by a camera, and a display unit that displays a camera image. Moreover, the information providing apparatus for supporting operation includes an information accumulating unit that accumulates a display position and a display attribute of a subject of projection by a projector on a displayed camera image, and a processing associated with the subject of projection in an associated manner. Furthermore, the information providing apparatus for supporting operation includes a data input unit that instructs on and off of display of an accumulated subject of projection and on and off or performance of processing associated thereto. Moreover, the information providing apparatus for supporting operation includes a display/processing control unit that controls on and off of display of a subject of projection or performance of processing according to input instruction information (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 8-86615 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication 2005-322055).
However, in the above technique, a position and an action of a person at the site is not considered, and there is a case that support data suitable for a scene at which an operation is performed at the site is not provided with the technique.
That is, in either of the above image display apparatus and the above information providing apparatus for supporting operation, an image to be projected is generated or contents of projection are selected based on images picked up by a camera. However, images picked up by a camera are ones imaged through the camera view, and do not necessarily match with a position and an action of a person. Therefore, the images picked up by the camera do not necessarily depict an operation state. When an operation state is not depicted in images picked up by a camera, the image can be projected at a wrong position, or wrong contents can be projected.